Design diary

 As part of one of my modules I need to create a planting scheme for different areas. For this I have created a series of mixes which aim to provide different effects to the landscape. There is one mix which aims to provide pollinators with food all year round, with at least 2 plants being in bloom at some point during the year. Part of my thinking for the site is to provide users of the site a reason to go outside all year round, this includes during the winter. I have achieved this through having areas of planting which bloom all year round and with some elements of foraging.  For this I have used a program called plant partner which is a database for plants. 

To aid with picking species of plants and other elements of my design I researched which species already exist on the site. This includes both flora and fauna. The elements I then incorporate into the site will then need to aid these species rather than drive them away from the site. Following from this I started looking at the ecological context within the site. The information I found will then help me design a site that considers these elements. This includes the rainfall and temperature: this will allow when I am picking out plants for the site the species I pick will be able to survive in these conditions.  

  Following on from being chosen for Tattnon Park we were invited to go and look at Wyevale nurseries. This allowed us to see the plants that we had specified and also have a look at some more plants that we may want to specify. This experience was really helpful in guiding us in the next steps for Tatton. During the trip we saw their greenhouses and also their tree planting. The tree planting was particularly interesting as they showed us pots which had air holes in them, this causes the roots of the trees to form in a slightly different way than if the tree roots were left to grow in a regular pot.

  I have started my SWOC for the castlemeads site. I created a graphic which illustrates the context around the site. This includes the major touris attractions within Gloucester including the cathedral and the quays. In addition to this I analysed the site using the SWOC method. Personally I do find that the W and the C  are relatively similar so there is some overlap there. I think in general I prefer the SOC method as it seems to be a lot clearer rather than "randomly" separating ideas which is what it can feel when separating weaknesses and constraints. 

I have been looking at developing my theme. I started by listing my aims and objectives for the site. The main objective was to create a space which people would stop to use rather than using as a through road. There is also a common theme of people's impact on the world and how the site can be used to present these ideas. There will be a nod to the idea of biodiversity and human's impact on wildlife within the site.  

  For Alney Island I have created some spatial zoning diagrams. This one shows the areas which will be active (green), semi active (orange) and passive (blue). This will give me a good idea about where to place different structures. I then created a zoning diagram for the different objectives and which area will be for what element. This is only a rough estimate and will not be the exact areas that I will cover.

 As part of creating my portfolio I have created a shortened version of my CV. This involved taking the most important parts of my CV and compiling them into half of a page. The most important parts of my CV to me is my work, hobbies and my introduction. I have rewritten my hobbies and interests introduction which gives more details about my involvement within the yugioh judge program. The main thing missing here is my photo as I currently don't have a photo which I want to use.

I have started to hatch the areas on the Surrey Council building. I have separated each area to help with this. I initially came up with a concept for each area before choosing the plants which will then go into the area. I have been using AutoCAD to do this. Although I think the black and white symbol hatching can be helpful I do however also think it's really overwhelming to look at and therefore if it was allowed in future I would instead use colourful hatching.